Tuesday 30 July 2013

Motives Khol Eyeliner

# of shades available: 2 (brown and navy blue)
RRP: £12.50
purchase from http://ukmotives.shop.com

--What does the promo say?--
"Make your eyes your best feature with our Motives Khol Eyeliner. The look can be as subtle or as dramatic as you like, and will stay defined and precisely lined all day. This great eyeliner will not pull the delicate skin around your eyes; it glides on smooth and has all day staying power."

--Packaging--
The plastic wrapping on this is a bit difficult to remove, but once this is done there are no other problems: the ensemble is chic and modern thanks to a unified black and silver colour scheme and a small band of the eyeliner colour at the end of the pencil. This is the kind of pencil you need to sharpen, though, rather than twisting up, which I know bothers some people.

--Application--
As promised, this is not difficult to apply even for eyeliner virgins, as it glides on smoothly without tugging at the skin. Follow the line of the top lashes along, flick out a little beyond the end of the lashes, and then blend for a more muted effect if desired.

--Appearance--
I was kindly sent the liner in Deep Sea Blue by Motives' publicist, and not only does this match my eyes well, but it's also a good complement to a lot of my clothes and makeup, which either are blue or go well with it. As the publicity materials mention, too, the liner can also have whatever impact you want depending on how much you blend: dramatic for nighttime, or subtle for day. 

--Texture and consistency--
Quite soft, which is good in some ways, as it helps with application and blending. However, this hot weather we've been having lately means it risks breaking thanks to being too soft. Perhaps keep in the fridge for safety!

--Longevity--
Again, as promised, it has very good staying power, lasting at least 6-7 hours flawlessly and probably more. 

--Value for money--
I have only positive comments regarding this product's appearance, texture, longevity and ease of application. This is a good supporting case for the RRP of £12.50. However, it's also a bit of a gamble, as there are a few much better-known brands retailing at £12-£13 per eyeliner stick, such as Black Up and Clarins. It's possible that they're trying to bank on the fact that this brand is designed by Loren Ridinger (whose main claim to fame, as far as I can see, is that she is senior vice-president of Shop.com), and trying to make us think, by putting her name on it, that we should all know who she is, should see her as more famous than she is, and that we should be prepared to pay for that privilege. To be honest, it all smacks a bit of the Jerome-Alexander-meets-JML case (although at least Ridinger is a real person who has achieved things, whereas Alexander seems little more than a fictional construct). So to try to reconcile this aspect of the product's price tag with its actual quality is somewhat difficult. However, in spite of my reservations I probably would recommend this product to others. It works well and comes in two classic tones to suit virtually everyone, which is more than a lot of brands manage. In short, Motives does seem to be one to watch - and I do hope that as a result Loren Ridinger is better known.

perfect partners
Pressed Eye Shadow, £12
Lustrafy Mascara, £14
False Eyelashes, £5.50
Eye Base, £12
Essential Brow Kit, £24   

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